Re-visiting end-of-life issues: targetting of at-risk seniors

This pas Friday, February 21, 2014, was the last day for the California legislature to submit new legislation for year 2 of the 2013/2014 legislative term. Several of the left over bills from year one are still awaiting a final vote, also.

Several of the new health bills are focusing on End-Of-Life issues, senior citizens and more government controls on long term and elder health care facilities..

From the viewpoint of someone who watches health and education legislation it is not a positive picture for either the beginnings of life or the endings of life in Califonia. Planned Parenthood has worked hard and diligently to control who enters this world. Now, the death and dying groups, are emerging as the controllers of who leaves this world, when and how quickly.

The issue for the EOL’ers, such as Compassion and Choices, that will facilitate their goal of the reduction of “burdensome” lives is Palliative Care. Along with palliative care come the issues of organ donation, Do-not-resuscitate protocols and the faux issue of allowing all planned manner of deaths to be presented in public forums as merely a choice amongst health care choices, hangs on freedom of speech; plus the fear, on the part of elected officials, of being sued by these groups if their “rights” are challenged.

Example: On February 28, 2014, the Concord, California, Senior Citizens Center will host a Health Fair, which they have done for a number of years. This year, Compassion and Choices was invited to be a part of the health information Fair. This is the group that promotes their POLST form mandating Palliative Care only.

Put in plainer language, The City of Concord will for the price of an $85,00 application fee allow this group to have access to Concord’s senior citizens.

Large numbers of area residents have registered their opposition to this appearance of the C&C and, to their credit two Concord elected officials, when notified of this egregious move, have expressed their concerns to the City Attorney. The City Attorney, Mr. Mark Coon, has dug in his heels, “strongly” supporting C&C’s freedom of speech rights as well as the fear of a lawsuit if C&C is rejected.

CRLC has also learned that in past Health Fairs Planned Parenthood has been invited to address the Seniors’ with recommendations and directions for enjoying sex longer into their senior years.

Compassion and Choices’ Oregon State (CompassionOfOregon.org) website carries the notice that they are an advocacy group for the right of citizens to “legal, lethal medications” which will allow the terminally ill to peacefully pass from this life without pain and surrounded by their loved ones, “making aid-in-dying” a choice.

Their California website “Get Involved” section proclaims that they are looking for volunteers to help staff booths at public events, get petitions signed to make California accessible to Aid in Dying” See: CompassionAndChoice.com

99% of their various websites focus their information on facilitating dying, not on helping to provide or care for the ill, elderly or disabled or terminally ill, nor even where to obtain that sort of help.

Assisted suicide or self inflicted suicide is not (yet) legal in California. It seems a little shady for a group to be given access rights to voting citizens to promote their cause.

However, the Concord City Attorney claims that because of some teensy-weensy reflections on health care expressed on their website, they qualify as a participant in a health fair!

Concord city officials need to be contacted continuously with citizens notices of outrage at this willingness to accommodate what are basically population control advocates using abortion and some fantasy right to die, as the means of control.

Since this Senior Center resides on City property in a City owned park, the government protected freedom of speech is, according to the City Attorney and other officials, to be recognized even if someone or groups should decide that this is an issue of such importance that the right to protect and preserve one’s life from a human type eminent domain type life denying grab needs to be publicly proclaimed. They just can’t do it inside the senior center.

The Concord City officials need to be so bothered by residents about this that they will pass a resolution or city ordinance, whatever it takes, not to invite them in again. Anyone wishing to express their concerns on this matter to the Concord City Mayor is invited to do so. 925 671-3158. both before and after the February 28, date.

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BILLS TO WATCH THIS TERM:

Most bills have to go through their first hearing in order to really attempt to understand what they are trying to slip passed the public.

AB2399, John Perez, Organ and Tissue Donor Registry. Authorizes an organ procurement organization to swipe a driver's license or identification card to transmit information to the registry for the purpose of allowing an individual to identify himself or herself as a registered organ donor. INTRODUCED. 02/21/2014. This is a direct palliative care issue.

AB2139, Susan Eggman, End-Of-Life Care: Patient Notification. Relates to legal end-of-life options. Requires a health care provider to notify the patient when the health care provider makes a diagnosis that a patient has a terminal illness, of the patient's right to comprehensive information and counseling regarding legal end-of-life care options. INTRODUCED.02/20/2014.

SB 1357, Lois Wolk, Resuscitattive Measures. 02/21/2014. Makes nonsubstantive changes (this actually means that this is a spot bill and that people should be alert to whatever amendments they will be attaching as the legislative year goes along) to existing law that defines a request regarding resuscitative measures as a written document, signed by an individual with capacity, or a legally recognized health care decision maker, and the individual's physician, directing a health care provider regarding resuscitative measures. INTRODUCED 2/21/2014.

SB1053, Holly Mitchell, Health Care Coverage:Contraceptives. Requires a health care service plan contract or health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after a specified date to provide coverage for all federal Food and Drug Administration approved contraceptive drugs, devices, and products in each contraceptive category outlined by the FDA, as well as sterilization procedures and contraceptive education and counseling, and would prohibit a plan or insurer from engaging in unreasonable medical management, in providing that coverage.

INTRODUCED: 02/18/2014.

SB1055, Carol Liu,n Public School Health Center Support Program. Renames the Public School Health Center Support Program as the School-Based Health and Education Partnership Program. provides funding for the expansion and renovation of existing school health centers. Authorizes population health grants. INTRODUCED. 02/18/2014.

AB2111, Tom Ammiano, Child Development Services; Cal SAFE Program..California School Age Families Education. The bill lists 19 different types of services for pregnant and parenting teans that a School District, including Charter schools will have to provide including for the children of the teen parents, Requires that each child have a developmental profile. INTRODUCED. 02/20/2014.

AB2344, Tom Ammiano, Family Law: Parentage. Establishes a statutory parentage form for assisted reproduction that would establish the parental rights of donor and intended parent parties to assisted reproduction that results in a child. Establishes the use of a stipulated stepparent adoption process, under which the child of a marriage or domestic partnership may be adopted by the parties to that marriage or domestic partnership. INTRODUCED 02/21/2014.

AB2350, Susan Bonilla, Prevention of Pregnancy Discrimination, Education. Expresses various legislative findings and declarations relating to pregnancy discrimination. Adds to the Equity in Higher Education Act a provision specifying that this policy of freedom from discrimination includes freedom from pregnancy discrimination. INTRODUCED 02/21/2014.

Quite possibly Susan Bonilla, (D-Concord) introduced this bill as a favor to Tom Ammiano. He still has a bill pending that would give financial compensation to homosexual couples who are infertile as a result of their social life style choices not their reproductive capabilities under different circumstances.

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Spero columnist Camille Giglio is a free-lance writer and analyst based in California.